Mold conveyer and weight system



1955 L. UNDERWOOD arm. 2,701,399

"OLD CONVEYER AND WEIGHT SYSTEM Feb. 8, 1955 I. L. UNDERWOOD ETAL 2,701,399

MOLD CONVEYER AND WEIGHT SYSTEM 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 10 1949 INVENTORS mm L. uuoewwaoo. Jomv v. $01.60.

A rrokntfs 1955 L. UNDERWOOD EI'AL 2,701,399

MOLD CONVEYER AND WEIGHT SYSTEM Filed Oct. 10, 1949 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 T. INVENTORS.

3 IVAN L. ulvoskwooo.

BY JOHN SULGA- ATTORNEYS 1955 l. L. UNDERWOOD :rm. 2,701,399

MOLD couvmza AND WEIGHT SYSTEM 'Filed Oct. 10, 1949 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTORS mm L. wvnenwooo. BY JoHN v. SULGA.

ATTo-RNEYS United States Patent MOLD CONVEYER AND WEIGHT SYSTEM Ivan L. Underwood and John Victor Sulga, Detroit, Mich assignors to Kelsey-Hayes Wheel Company, Detroit, Mich a corporation of Delaware Application October 10, 1949, Serial No. 120,472

4 Claims. (Cl. 22-112) The invention relates to mold conveyor system and refers more particularly to conveyor systems for sectional sand molds in which weights are employed to hold together the sections of the molds during the pouring and solidifying of the metal forming the castings.

The invention has for one of its objects to provide an improved conveyor system comprising a traveling conveyor for the sectional molds and a conveyor for the weights which is driven from the mold conveyor solely through the suspension means for the weights.

The invention has for another object to provide an improved conveyor system in which the normal spacing between the central transverse planes of adjacent molds is substantially the same as the normal spacing between the central transverse planes of the weights and the weights are of greater length than the molds.

with these as well as other objects in view, the invention resides in the novel features of construction, and combinations and arrangements of parts as more fully hereinafter set forth.

ln the drawings:

Figure l is a plan view of a mold conveyor system embodying the invention;

lrigures 2 and 3 are cross sections respectively on the lines L2 and 3--3 of Figure l; 3

l-igure 4 is a plan view of one of the molds.

The mold conveyor 1 is of conventional construction, it being power driven and endless and comprising the series of like cars 2 arranged in end to end relation and traveling over the tracks 3. The cars are spaced equidistantly from each other and have the tops 4 for supporting the sectional sand molds, each of which comprises the flask 5 of conventional construction having the drag 6 and the cope 7. The drag and cope are provided at their ends respectively with the upright pins 8 and the bushings 9 for receiving the pins to properly position the cope on the drag. "lhe drag and cope are preferably ribbed to more securely hold the sand in place, the cope, as shown, having the two cylindrical ribs 10 and the angularly spaced ribs 11 radiating from the ribs 10 and connecting into the side and end walls of the cope. As shown in the present instance, the mold conveyor has a U-shaped end portion with the location 12 for pouring the metal into the molds at one side and the location 13 for the solidifying of the metal in the molds at the end and other side.

For holding together the mold sections or more particularly the cope and the drag during the pouring and solidifying of the metal forming the castings or while the metal in the molds is molten, there are the series of weights 14 arranged in end to end relation and adapted to rest upon the copes. These weights are positioned to extend longitudinally of and to engage the copes laterally inwardly of the sprues to facilitate pouring of the metal. The weights are longer than the molds, their length being such that adjacent weights clear each other while the molds are moving around the curves at the end of the U-shaped portion of the conveyor.

15 is the weight conveyor comprising the series of trolleys 16 and the flexible linear member 17, such as a chain, connecting the trolleys. The trolleys are supported by and travel over the endless track 18 which extends over the mold conveyor 1. The track has the raised horizontal U-shaped end portion 19, the depressed horizontal U-shaped end portion 20 at a lower elevation than the raised portion, and the downwardly and upwardly inclined portions 21 and 22 connecting the raised and de- 2,701,399 Patented Feb. 8, 1955 pressed portions. The raised portion has one of its sides located above the main conveyor in front of the pouring location and the other of its sides located above the main conveyor behind the solidifying location. The depressed portion is located above the metal pouring and solidifying U-shaped end portion of the mold conveyor lncludmg the pouring and solidifying locations. The downwardly inclined portion is located above the mold conveyor in front of the pouring location while the upwardly inclined portion is located above the mold conveyor behind the solidifying location.

23 are suspension members, such as chains, pivotally connecting the weights and trolleys, there being a pair of suspension members and a pair of trolleys for each weight, and the trolleys being spaced so that the normal distance between the central-transverse planes of adjacent.

weights which occurs when the weights are raised above the molds is substantially the same as the distance between the central transverse planes of the cars of the mold conveyor and the molds resting on the cars. The

length of the flexible linear members 23 is such that the copes and drags together during the pouring of the metal into the molds and the subsequent solidifying of the metal at the locations 12 and 13 respectively. The length of the solidifying location of the mold conveyor provides for a .number of deposited weights in excess of the number required to eflEect the driving of the weight conveyor through the suspension members connected to the deposited weights so that these suspension members form the sole driving means for the weight conveyor from the mold conveyor.

In one mold conveyor system in use, the weight conveyor is connected to twenty-eight weights with seven suspended weights carried by the raised portion of the weight conveyor, eight deposited weights occupying the pouring location or zone of the mold conveyor and 13 deposited weights occupying the solidifying location or zone of the mold conveyor, approximately fifty percent of the deposited weights being suflicient to effect the driving of the weight conveyor through their suspension means. In another mold conveyor system in use there are thirty-two weights with eight suspended weights and I ten and fourteen deposited weights respectively occupying the pouring and solidifying zones, approximately fifty percent of the deposited weights being sufiicient to effect the driving of the weight conveyor.

In operation the weights are successively lowered into contact with or deposited on the molds in advance of the pouring location 12 of the mold conveyor to rest on the upper sections of the molds and after. they have been deposited they place the suspension members under tension to pick up the load for driving the weight conveyor from the mold conveyor, each suspension member carrying a part of the driving load. During the operation, the locations of the deposited weights relative to the molds change so that at one stage the deposited weights rest upon adjacent molds but in any event they are suflicient to mold the mold sections together while the metal in the mold cavities is molten and the number of deposited weights is sufiicient to advance the weight conveyor by the suspension members connected to the deposited weights.

What we claim as our invention is:

l. A sand mold conveyor system comprising a power driven conveyor having mold supports arranged end to end with the central transverse planes of adjacent supports spaced substantially equi-distantly from each other, sectional sand molds of substantially equal length supported on said supports and carried thereby to and beyond the pouring location of said power driven conveyor, weights of greater length than said molds for holding to gether the sections of said molds while the metal of the castings therein is molten, an endless conveyor extending above said first mentioned conveyor and having trolleys, suspension members for each weight from a pair of adjacent trolleys normally carrying said weights with their central transverse planes spaced apart a distance substantially equal to the distance between the central transverse planes of adjacent supports, and an'endless track supporting said trolleys having a depressed portion for depositing said weights upon said molds, said suspension members of said deposited weights forming the sole driving means for said second conveyor from said first mentioned conveyor.

2. A sand mold conveyor system comprising a conveyor for carrying and advancing substantially uniformly spaced sectional sand mold's of substantially equal length to and beyond the pouring location, weights engageable with the upper sections of said molds to hold the sections together while the metal ofthe castings therein is molten, an endless conveyor comprising trolleys flexibly connected to each other, suspension means for said weights from said trolleys, and an endless track for supporting said trolleys having a raised portion spaced above said first mentioned conveyor a distance spacing the weights carried by the trolleys supported on said raised track portion above the upper sections of said molds, said track having a depressed portion spaced above said first men'- tioned conveyor at a lower elevation than the said raised portion depositing the weights connected to the trolleys supported on said depressed track portion on the upper sections of said molds, said suspension means of said deposited weights forming the sole driving means for said second conveyor.

3. A sand mold conveyor system comprising a traveling conveyor, a series of sectional molds carried thereby to and beyond the pouring location, a series of weights for holding together the sections of said molds while the material of the castings is molten, an endless conveyor extending over said first mentioned conveyor, suspension means for each weight from said last mentioned conveyor, and a track along which said last mentioned conveyor travels, said track having a depressed portion for depositing said weights upon said molds and a raised portion for raising said weights from said molds, the suspension means of said deposited weights forming the sole driving means for said last mentioned conveyor from said first me'ntioned conveyor.

4. A sand mold conveyor system comprising a traveling conveyor having a generally U-shaped portion provided with metal pouring and solidifying locations, a. series of sectional molds carried by said conveyor successively through said pouring and solidifying locations, a series of weights'TGi holding together the sections of said molds while the metal of the castings therein is molten, an endless conveyor comprising trolleys connected to each other, suspension means for said weights from said trolleys and an endless track having a raised generally U-shaped end portion, a depressed generally U- shaped end portion located above said generally U-shaped portion of said first mentioned conveyor and inclined portrons connecting said raised and depressed portions, said raised portion being at an elevation locating the weights carried by the suspension means and the associated trolleys supported by said raised portion spaced above said molds and said depressed portion being at an elevation and located relative to the molds therebelow depositing the weights connected to the suspension means and the associated trolleys supported by said depressed portion on the molds and laterally spaced from the mold sprues, the length of said depressed portion providing sufiicient deposited weights to drive said second mentioned conveyor by the suspension means connected to the deposited weights.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,119,680 Brown Dec. 1, 1914 2,068,835 Wurster Ian. 26, 1937 2,095,151 OConnor Oct. 5, 1937 2,154,967 Wurster Apr. 18, 1939 2,524,328 Platt et al. Oct. 3, 1950 OTHER REFERENCES Iron Age, December 5, 1946, pages 77-80. 

